The Infinity Dreams Award

I was nominated by Brigitte at The Book and the Bone and Cat at The Book Finch. Thanks so much to both of you for the nominations. I was thrilled to receive both of them and you each had some great questions for me to come up with answers to.

Rules:

• Thank and follow the blog that nominated you.
• Tell us 11 facts about yourself.
• Answer the questions that were set for you to answer.
• Nominate 11 bloggers and set 11 questions for them.

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Eleven (Bookish) Facts About Me:

1. I don’t really have a preference, one way or the other, between e-books and paperbacks. I read e-books all the time because I worry about my paperback editions getting beat up in my bag travelling to and from work, but I have bookshelves full of paperback and hardcover editions of my favourite books.
2. On average I can read about a book a day, and five a week. I read quite quickly anyways but I spend about an hour and a half each way travelling to work, and with an hour’s lunch break I get about four hours reading time each day.
3. I am a terrible procrastinator. The fact that I’ve been posting on this blog since November is nothing short of a miracle to be honest.
4. My favourite YA series, probably ever, is The Lunar Chronicles and Marissa Meyer is definitely one of my favourite authors.
5. My favourite children’s books are Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the Harry Potter series. Those two, along with the Twilight series, are what got me hooked on reading.
6. I spent way too much money on books. I currently have a monthly budget in place for 2016 but so far, during January and February, I’ve gone way over budget.
7. I buy most of my books from Amazon, mainly because there is so much more variety than in my local bookstores and it can be so much cheaper. The only issue I have is with the waiting time for the books to be dispatched and delivered to me.
8. My favourite genre to read is fantasy, but I am trying to branch out and read books that are outside of my genre comfort zone.
9. I will pretty much read any book that is either a fairy tale retelling or time travel themed.
10. I am currently subscribed to Owl Crate and each month I get a new YA book based around a theme and other bookish keepsakes. This month’s theme was Sci-Fi Love and I received a copy of The Love That Split the World; a book which I had already read and loved so I was thrilled when my package arrived.
11. I’m a little ashamed to admit this but I do have books, both on my bookshelves and on my Kindle, which I have never read. They are on my to-read list I just keep pushing them back because there are new releases that I just have to read first. Hopefully one day I’ll get around to them.

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Brigitte’s Questions

1. Favourite sweet and savoury foods?
   Sweet would be pretty much anything fizzy or sour. I am addicted to fizzy strawberry and cola laces, and I love the Toxic Waste sweets although I can only eat three or so at a time before my tongue starts to sting. As for savoury it would be lightly salted tortilla crisps; I eat loads of them and I can’t get enough.

2. Favourite TV series?
   Definitely Supernatural. I have seen every episode of all eleven series and made some great friends though the show. I even attended three conventions; two in England and one in Rome.

3. What’s the most fascinating thing you’ve encountered this week?
   Well, I went to IKEA for the first time with my family this past weekend, and now I can see why people love the place so much. It literally sells everything you can think of; I only went in for a bookcase and not only was it the cheapest bookcase I’ve brought to date but I ended up coming out with a lot more than I ever planned on buying. We were in there for like two hours just getting lost and wondering around the store.

4. First book that made you fall in love with reading?
   Probably Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I have a very clear memory of my parents giving me the book as a present, my very first hardcover edition, before we were about to drive home from our holiday one year and I just sat in the car reading until I fell asleep.

5. Do you like going to the library?
   I used to go to the library all the time, I still do though not as often, however my local library spent a lot of money on a new building and upgrading everything you can think of except the books. The building itself got bigger and better but I’m pretty sure the collection of actual books shrunk.

6. Who was your first book crush?
   Probably Owen from Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. It was one of the first YA books I can remember reading and I adored Owen’s character; he’s steady, loyal, strong, honourable, honest, and has so many more amazing qualities. I loved his story and his relationship with Annabelle, and I have loved all of Sarah Dessen’s books that I have read since I finished Just Listen

7. If you could go back in time to change one thing, what would it be (it doesn’t have to be something in your life, it can be a historical event too)?
   I can’t really say anything historical. I think changing some of the big things would have an adverse effect on the timeline (I read a lot of time travel books) but in my life I’d probably go back and not take the first job I found after I’d left university. At the time I wanted to start working and earning money but looking back I can see I just ended up in a dead-end job that gave me anxiety and stress. If I could go back I wouldn’t take the job just for the sake of working, instead I’d wait and find something that I actually wanted to do, something I would enjoy.

8. Where would you like to live, even for a short period of time?
   I can’t really pick just one place so instead I’m going to choose my top three; New York, San Francisco, and Amsterdam. I went on holiday to all three cities and fell in love. New York is so busy and alive so I don’t think I’d be able to live there for long, but both San Francisco and Amsterdam are places I could easily see myself settling down in.

9. Describe the weirdest dream you remember having.
   I don’t normally remember most of the dreams I have, but there is one weird one that I had quite a while ago now. I was at a university (I’m not sure which one, certainly not one I’ve ever been to, but if you think of a stereotypical university that’ll probably be close to the one in my dream) and there was a living doll (think Chucky but less evil) who manned the reception desk. Anyway, there was this strange green lighting that struck the building and all of the sudden the doll turned evil and started killing everyone in the building. I was hiding under a desk in a room full of computers and I could see the outline of the doll as it walked past the door.
   That’s pretty much all I can remember, I think I woke myself up at that point, but it really freaked me out and I no longer like dolls.

10. What was one false thing you believed as a child?
    Santa Claus is the big one, as well as the Tooth Fairy before I realised it was my parents leaving behind presents on Christmas Day and money when I lost a tooth.

11. What’s your favourite quote?
    I don’t really have a favourite quote so instead I’m going to pick one from the most recent five star book I’ve read:

    Are you really a boy, like Xash says? the god asked Arin. You’ve been mine for twenty years. I raised you.
    The Valorian signed the scrap of paper.
    Cared for you.
    The message was rolled, sealed, and pushed into a tiny leather tube.
    Watched over you when you thought you were alone.
    The captain tied the tube to hawk’s leg. The bird was too large to be a kestrel. It didn’t have a kestrel’s markings. It cocked its head, turning its glass-bead eyes on Arin.
    No, not a boy. A man made in my image…one who knows he can’t afford to be seen as weak.
    The hawk launched into the sky.
    You’re mine, Arin. You know what you must do.
    Arin cut the Valorian’s throat.
    — The Winner’s Kiss, Marie Rutkoski

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Cat’s Questions

1. If you had to live in one “book world” for a week, which one would it be and why?
   Hogwarts, without a doubt. I’d love to be able to explore the castle at will, preferably with my own copy of the Marauders Map, and take all the magic lessons that Harry, Ron and Hermione do. I’d head down to Hogsmeade one day and visit Honeydukes, travel to Diagon Alley, the Ministry of Magic, the Burrow, just everywhere J.K. Rowling has described in the series.
   I’d probably need more than a week!

2. What is your most hated vegetable?
   I’m going to say broccoli. I honestly cannot stand the stuff but I am forced to eat it because it’s healthy and, according to my parents, I need to eat my vegetables. I will avoid it at all costs if I can.

3. Least favourite book genre?
   I’m not sure if I have a least favourite genre. I’ll read pretty much anything if the blurb intrigues me however I guess historical fiction is the genre I read the least so I’ll say that one.

4. Favourite book genre?
   Definitely time travel books, and fairytale retellings actually. I don’t even need to read the blurb. If a book has even a hint of time travel or fairytales it will go on my to-read list.

5. What book do you wish everyone would read (because it’s amazing)?
   The Lunar Chronicles series. I know most people have already read this series, or at least started it, but it is definitely my all-time favourite and if there is anyone reading this post who hasn’t started the first book already go and read it now! The whole series is amazing and you won’t regret picking it up.

6. What’s one thing you wish the world had more of?
   Places to travel to. Reading as many fantasy and sci-fi books as I do, and watching as many fantasy and sci-fi TV shows, seeing all the places that are imagined and invented outside of Earth just makes the planet seem so small sometimes. I’d love to be able to travel the world but I’d love to go outside of Earth and see other planets and places even more.

7. Do you have a pet? Tell us about him/her/them!
   I have one pet (other than some stick insects my mum has and the fish my dad keeps in the pond in our garden) a retired racing greyhound named Tommy. We brought him home just after Christmas 2014, which was a tough time for us as my Nan had just passed away, and from what I can tell his talents seem to be sleeping, getting up on the sofas despite not being allowed on them, tearing up newspapers, sleeping, stealing food from our plates and the bins, and sleeping.

8. What do you look for in a book?
   Mostly the cover. That’s normally the first thing that catches my eye about a book, but I notice the author as well if it’s a sequel I’m really excited for, like Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, or a book by an author I love, like The Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor. For new books I’ll read the blurb and if it catches my attention and sounds interesting and/or unique I’ll put it on my to-read list.

9. What would your perfect day look like?
   I’d have a day off work, and I’d be able to sleep in; turn off my alarm and just wake up when I woke up. I’d head into London and do some shopping on Oxford Street, maybe head to a museum if there was an exhibition on that caught my eye. I’d spend some time with my friends as well; dinner and drinks or ice cream and movies, either way my friends would definitely be part of my perfect day. Finally I’d head home and chat with my mum for a bit.

10. Are you procrastinating right now?
    Yes, I am almost always procrastinating. The fact that I actually post on my blog at all is nothing short of a miracle.

11. What do you think about Valentine’s Day?
    I’m not really a fan of Valentine’s Day. No one I know really does anything special, and for me it’s just another day. Being totally honest the only reason I even know Valentine’s Day is coming up is because of all the cards and gifts that start appearing in the shops.

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My Questions:

1. Is there a book death you’re still not over, if so which one?
2. What is the one thing you cannot live without?
3. What would be your dream job?
4. If you could travel anywhere in the world, outside of the world, or in a book world, where would you go?
5. What is the best book you’ve read so far this year?
6. What is the worst book you’ve read so far this year?
7. Favourite comfort food?
8. If you could pick one book to read again for the first time what would it be?
9. What is your most anticipated new release, it doesn’t have to be a book, for this year?
10. Tell us about one positive thing that happened to you this week.
11. Do you have any holidays planned for this year, or have you already been somewhere amazing this year?

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My Nominations:

1. Analee at Book Snacks
2. Anna at My Bookish Dream
3. Catia at The Girl Who Read Too Much
4. Fadwa at Word Wonders
5. Felicia at Fell for Books
6. Krish at dBookEscape
7. Lila at The Bookkeeper’s Secrets
8. Marie at Drizzle and Hurricane Books
9. Miriam at The Reading Belle
10. Shelby at Pretty Witty Words
11. Stephanie at Adventures of a Bibliophile